Boards

I've been somewhat intrigued by this Orange Amp that's also a PC. I say intrigued, mostly I'm not sure why you would ever need the two combined, and I have no idea if it's any more than a ostentatious way of lugging a laptop around the world, and a slightly smarter way of recording an amp?! http://www.orangeopc.com/

It got me thinking about the possibilities of modern technology to evolve music and I started looking to see if there was anything on the horizon which was already changing the ways in which music is created and performed.

Obviously, at the turn of the century there was the revolution in home-recording software, and we've obviously seen the fall-out of what being able to record at home has done - for better or worse - to music. There's also the ways in which people are using computers and backing track triggers to enhance live shows, and how wireless guitars and mics have unburdened some musicians, but in general, it seems like a lot of live music has suffered from ways in which technology now allows people to 'cheat' or I'll stab myself in the eyes before I go see another dude stood behind a laptop bouncing his head a little bit.... The iPad was meant to 'change everything' but I've not really seen people use it for much more than a glorified tenori-on or as a chaos pad sort of thing. And somewhat hideous seeming things like this: http://www.ionaudio.com/products/details/allstarguitar

Other than the electric guitar and the synth...
i) what for you were the major technological shifts which enhanced and evolved music (in the studio or on the stage)?
ii) is there anything that you've seen in the past few year or two that makes you excited for the future?

2. the increase in people trying to build guitar effects etc is good and positive (aslong as they all dont end up just doing a modded muff/fuzz face)
theres been a big leap in VST quality too; which considering virtually everything is now PC based, is good. Theres still some shit hot studio quality gear being released though, just costs mad £££££s.

and David Byrne gives a very clear and interesting consideration of this in his recent book 'What is music?'

more recently the digitisation of this recorded sound - from processing it through effects and delays to reusing it through sampling, to obviously making 'perfect copies' has had a big influence

generally, changes to the technology of music consumption have had bigger impacts than changes to the technology of music production as there has (during the era of recorded music at least) historically been more consumers than producers

we are at a point where - due to digital - the technologies of consumption and production have pretty much fused and there are so many prosumers out their with prosumer gadgets - not least of which is the iPhone

but this is a big question
there's about 50 different PhD's to be had out of answering it properly

I'm a teacher and I've been amazed at how apps like Garageband and the Tenori-on one have engaged my class in making music (11-13 year olds with behavioural and learning difficulties). The only drawback is the lack of velocity sensitivity.

Your point is a valid one insofar as all the apps I have are somehow recreating an existing 'real' or digital instrument but by taking some of the complexity out of playing them in tune or in time it opens up music making to a whole load of people who wouldn't have got a look in otherwise, which is a good thing to me.

I think loopers are a great innovation, not exactly new but way more common and affordable. It just makes it way more satisfying when playing on your own, and easier to work on ideas. Undoubtably also responsible for some boring live acts though.

21st century Digital technology didn't revolutionized music itself. It changed the way music is recorded and marketed but didn't change music.

The microphone (for instance) changed music more than itunes or garageband ever could. It made people sing differently, once the volume of the singing didn't have to compete with other instruments. Therefore, the amplification of voice allowed for the development of popular music as we know today, from Beatles to Adele or whoever else.

Ideas change MUSIC more than technology. The tenori-on changed nothing... the blue note did.

MP3s or the iPad didnt create a new musical language, but the mix of european and african styles did.

A revolution could come when popular music worldwide becomes less westernized and mix more influences from different cultures in a meaningful way (widespread use of different musical scales, etc?)

A musical instrument that translated colours into sound could be cool, as well as one that could read brainwaves and turn thought into music instantly. Sounds like sci-fi but the technology is there in both cases... so it could happen in the future.

"MIDI (short for Musical Instrument Digital Interface) is an electronic musical instrument industry specification that enables a wide variety of digital musical instruments, computers and other related devices to connect and communicate with one another. It is a set of standard commands that allows electronic musical instruments, performance controllers, computers and related devices to communicate, as well as a hardware standard that guarantees compatibility between them.

"MIDI's appeal was originally limited to those who wanted to use electronic instruments in the production of popular music. The standard allowed different instruments to speak with each other and with computers, and this spurred a rapid expansion of the sales and production of electronic instruments and music software".